According to ioGlobal, explorers and miners tend to either pay little attention to data management and in the process compromise data quality, or they have invested large sums of money in systems and data management teams.

In a bid to reduce the problems faced by the resources sector, ioGlobal has created a browser-based data management tool called ioHUB SaaS, which can be securely accessed from any internet connection globally.

One benefit of ioHUB SaaS is that it can be accessed by clients via a secure browser interface and is therefore significantly cheaper than having to purchase and maintain data management software and servers.

Another benefit is ioLogger, a field data collection system that is integrated with ioHUB which makes it almost impossible for field staff to collect invalid data in the field.

“While we can be sure that data collected with ioLogger will have a home in the ioHUB database, it is still possible for geologists to collect data that is valid but make no sense geologically,” Stephen Winter, a founding director at ioGlobal told MiningNews.net.

“The best way to mitigate this risk is to provide strong visual feedback to geos while they are logging the drillhole.”

Winter said ioLogger had a built-in graphical log that made it easy to see the entire drillhole in geological context.

“Valid but nonsensical logging is immediately apparent and can be rectified on the spot,” he said.

Another major benefit of ioHUB is the online data importer which allows clients to import data directly to the database with full validation via the secure ioHUB browser interface.

“You need to see ioHUB SaaS in action to appreciate it,” Winter said.

“Collect data with ioLogger, import it with a few clicks and see the data in reports immediately.

“The aim is to minimise time spent on data management and to maximise the time available for decision making.

“That’s where ioHUB really adds value.”

Winter said ioLogger was being used by clients now with new features in ioHUB to be released progressively over the next 2 months.

“That’s a benefit of the SaaS model – we can make new features available when they are ready, rather than have to wait for a traditional software release that depends on the distribution of a setup file etcetera”

The company, which was formed in 2000, delivers applied geochemistry, resource analytics and data system automation solutions to the resource and environmental industries.

The company has offices in Perth, Melbourne and Vancouver and has over 30 staff split between technical consulting, software development and SaaS data management services.

This story first appeared on ILN's sister publication MiningNews.net.